The Mercy Of Love
by ThroneOfFire
Summary: Caroline and Klaus are both 2 different people in 2 different bands. She likes pop, he likes rock. She is kind, while he is not. She's in The Mystics while he is in The Originals. Yet somehow they become intrigued with one another and become closer. But their friends and family don't like where this relationship is headed. Can they make it work despite their differences?
1. Chapter 1: Battle Of The Bands

**Chapter 1: Battle of the Bands**

The dressing room for The Mystics was in total chaos. Makeup covered every inch of the dressing table, hairspray fumes clung to the air making it impossible to breathe, bodies raced from one end of the room to other; and it was all because of one thing. The thing that could make all their dreams come true. The finals for the Battle of the Bands.

The gang had worked their asses off to get through the elimination rounds. But this was the one that counted. If they won the competition not only would they get a record deal but they would also get a national tour! Just imagine, four weeks touring the country, hearing the crowds scream your name…

"Hey Caroline, have you seen my drum sticks?" Tyler said breaking Caroline out of her reverie.

"Umm yeah they should be in the bag with all the spare guitar strings. If not there is always a spare pair in my suitcase" Caroline smiled and looked around the room. Everyone was still getting ready for the show, Damon was adjusting his strings on his guitar and Matt was doing the same with his bass. Bonnie was going over her piano chords while the twins, Elena and Katherine, were still warming up their voices and applying makeup.

Caroline was always ready way before everyone else. She was a control freak and everyone knew it. She needed to know that things were going as planned otherwise she would start stress cleaning, and that was never a pleasant sight. But tonight was Caroline's time to shine, and that meant that Caroline needed to have everything in order more so than ever. She was tired of living behind Elena's shadow, even though she loved the girl to bits, but she was just tired of just being the back-up singer and maybe tonight would be different. Maybe tonight she would prove not only to the country or to the band or to a record company but also to herself that she had what it takes to be a lead vocalist even though she would still be singing back up tonight.

As soon as everyone was ready, Caroline double checked that her blonde curls were in perfect order before she followed the band up to the green room where they were met by Jeremy, Elena and Katherine's brother and Lexi who was the band's PR. Surprisingly the green room was actually green. All the way to the very last detail; shades of lime and emerald enveloped Caroline's eyes. Is this what Dorothy felt like in the Emerald city? Caroline wondered.

"So you guys ready? I got notified from the tech guys that you guys are performing last and The Originals are the first to perform out of the five once the show starts. So go out with a bang!" Lexi explained.

"I'm sorry but I'm confused. Why are The Originals competing in this? I thought the Battle of the Bands was for new upcoming bands. Aren't they already uber famous?" Katherine queried cynically.

Oh Katherine, always the one to question their rivals, Jeremy thought as he rolled his eyes "Calm down Kat. They only won last year's title-" It's part of the rules; it pulls the crowd in. To see what bands can outperform last year's winners - "

"Yeah and their family also owns Mikaelson Records. Why are they even here if they have free access to a record company and are already doing shows?" Katherine cut in.

"They're here because it's the shows rule to have a defending champion, so people will be interested if they can win a second time or if a new band will take over." Jeremy replied.

"It grabs the viewers." Lexi agreed.

"Well shouldn't someone complain? What's the point of trying to win a record deal when they _own_ a record company?" Katherine argued again

"As much as I agree with you Kat, there's nothing much we can do about it now. The shows about to start and besides it isn't very sportsman-like. If we want to win this, we'll have to do it fair and square" Elena said.

"Since when have I ever been sportsman-like or ever done things fair and square?"

"She has a point you know" Damon added.

"Oh look at all these dumbfounded amateurs. Having doubts are we? Think it's a little unfair that we have an advantage of performing on an _actual_ stage? No need to worry darlings, there is no way you are going to win this competition"

The whole room turned towards the new voice. Everyone stared as The Originals, walked through the door. Caroline had heard of The Originals more than enough times at band practices from her friends. They were a rock band that consisted of family members and were considered the bands greatest rival even though they had not met yet, at least not until now.

Caroline examined the band as they made their way to the centre of the room. In the front stood Rebekah Mikaelson, the only girl and sister of the group whose unofficial band name was 'Man-eater'. She had long blonde hair sleeked back into a ponytail and smoky eye shadow to highlight her green eyes. To the left of her stood man with boyish charms, his face always set in a smirk but from what Caroline could tell, he was a big flirt. That must be Kol Mikaelson she thought also known as 'The Lady-killer'. Behind Kol stood a stoic man who wore more formal clothes than the rest of his band mates. That has to be Elijah 'The Rock' Mikaelson, the eldest brother. Next to Elijah stood a tall man who said and did very little. Caroline deduced that he must be Finn Mikaelson, nicknamed 'The Silence' for obvious reasons. Now the last member who stood to the right of Rebekah must have been Klaus Mikaelson, "The Hybrid". She had to admit that he was even more handsome in the flesh with his curly hair and full lips than in the pictures she had seen. What am I doing? Caroline thought. She can't be thinking about Klaus Mikaelson that way, especially not now! He was practically their enemy and she was with Tyler for god sakes.

"Now, now little sister. No need to tease the competition. We can't have them wetting their pants before they go on stage. What challenge will that leave us?" Klaus smirked as he stepped forward from behind Rebekah. "Ah, The Mystics. The large band from the small town of Mystic Falls. A pleasure to finally meet you all at last. I hear you're the only band who has a chance at beating us." He said as he scanned and identified each person with his eyes straying just a second too long on the blonde, who stood at the back of the group. There was something about that girl that was different from the brunette twins at the front of the group. There seemed to be a light that flowed through her and shone out.

"That is if you can withstand our musical performance. I'm sure it will do more than just rock your socks off" Kol added as we waggled his eyebrows at Bonnie who scoffed at his immature gesture.

"ATTENTION ALL PERFORMERS THIS IS YOUR 5 MINUTE BEGINNER'S CALL. CAN THE OPENING ACT PLEASE MAKE THEIR WAY BACKSTAGE, THANKYOU" A male voice called out from the overhead speakers.

"That seems to be our queue to leave. Please excuse us and good luck with the competition" Elijah said as he led his family out the door.

"We should probably get going too. We'll see you guys out there and don't worry you are going to absolutely great. I'm sure you'll win" smiled Lexi as she and Jeremy made their way to find their seats in the crowd.

* * *

As The Mystics were making their way backstage to grab their instruments that they would need onstage, Katherine pulled Elena, Stefan and Damon off to the side away from the rest of the gang before they would even notice that they were missing.

"You guys know that we will never stand a chance against The Originals if we do our sunshine and rainbows cover of 'Kiss Me' that we always perform when we have a gig" she said.

"But Kat, what else could we do? That's our best song, everyone knows that" Elena spoke.

"That's exactly why we should change our song. Everyone will be expecting us to perform it. Why not shake things up a bit with a surprise song?"

"Well little evil twin, what do you suggest we do?" Damon implored.

"I suggest that we do an original song for our finale. More specifically Caroline's song"

"Are you sure? We've only practiced her song a handful of times and we should ask Caroline first, I mean it is her song after all" Stefan added.

"Oh please. Caroline will thank us for performing her song and showing it to the world. We need to tell everyone the change of plans before it's too late. The Originals are about to perform in any second which leaves us about less than 5 minutes to find and tell everyone the change of plans before we get hauled onstage"

"Okay. I'll go let Caroline know that she'll be performing lead vocals tonight instead of me." Elena said as she was about to leave the exclusive conversation but Katherine grabbed her arm at the last second.

"No. Caroline hasn't had much experience with lead vocals"

"Kathrine's right. Caroline has had limited experience being in the glorious spotlight. Who's to say that she won't choke tonight? It is a large crowd plus this is broadcasted live on television. We can't afford any kind of mess up or it'll cost us the competition and make us the Battle of the Bands joke of the century; and I for one _do not_ want to lose to someone as stuck-up as The Originals or Klaus Mikaelson for that matter." Damon agreed.

Elena was torn. On one hand, she wanted to win this competition just as much as the next person, maybe even more and not just for herself but for everyone and all the hard work they've put into getting this band here. But on the other hand, she didn't want to hurt Caroline's feelings by performing her song without letting her perform it herself. She knew how much the song meant to Caroline, could she really do this?

"Hey, I know that you might feel bad for overtaking Caroline's song but don't be. She wrote it for the band anyway, and what better way to promote her great song writing skills than through this competition?" Stefan said as he pushed a lock of Elena's hair behind her ear. Elena gave him a small smile in return.

"I know" she replied "I just feel bad because I know that she wanted to debut the song herself"

"Elena, there is a reason why you're the lead vocalist and not Caroline. We all agreed that you are the better singer. As much as I love her, Caroline's use is better off doing backing vocals and shaking a tambourine in the background. Besides it's only for tonight, to win this competition. Once we get on tour she can sing the damn song however she wants" Damon added, getting annoyed that they now have even less time to notify the others.

Elena reluctantly nodded. A sacrifice had to be made for the good of the team.

"Great" Katherine concluded. "Now we can get this show on the road and kick some Mikaelson ass. But before we go, I feel as though this song would improve a hundred times more if it was sung as a duet. So Stefan, since you have the sexier singing voice would you do the honour of singing this song?"

Stefan sighed but agreed, ignoring the annoyed expression from his elder brother. Once everyone was ready, they continued down the corridors until they met the rest of the band in the wings behind the stage, waiting for the show to start.

* * *

 **A/N:** So short chapter to start off. Sorry if my writing skills aren't top notch, this is my first fanfiction and first actual big writing thing I have ever done… EVER. Please let me know what you guys think of it!

P.S. Klaroline fanfiction is the best fanfiction out there! Like 99.9% of fanfiction I read is Klaroline!


	2. Chapter 2: Enjoy The Show

**Chapter 2: Enjoy The Show**

"Good Evening ladies, gents and lovers of rock n' roll! Welcome to the biggest music competition in the nation, the Grand Final for The Battle of The Bands! And boy, are you in for an exciting night, tonight!" The host of the show shouted across the stadium as the crowd cheered. The competition was held at the United Centre in Chicago and every seat was filled with sweaty bodies. Caroline watched as the crowd roared with pure exhilaration and anticipation on what was to come tonight.

"We have an excellent line up for tonight's show! Up first we have The Originals!" The crowd erupted into a roar again. It was so loud the whole stadium seemed to shake. "Then we have The Preatures, followed by I Fight Dragons, Lemonade Mouth and then finally The Mystics! Chicago, now it is time to let the battle commence. So get ready to drown in the sweet sorrow that is THE ORIGINALS! "

The lights on the stadium dimmed as the audience lowered their roars to dull murmurs. Caroline had sneaked out of backstage and was leaning against the stadium exit door near the front as she watched the crowd; she had plenty of time to get back before she had to go on stage. There were so many people watching… She was glad that she wasn't singing leads tonight for she knew that if she did, she would've passed out before a note ever left her pink lips. Sure, Caroline was used to attention; craved it even, but certainly not _this much_ attention.

The audience's murmurs had quietened down to complete silence as they waited in anticipation. The stage was enveloped in darkness. Caroline was still trying to make out a single silhouette when she heard the tapping of drum sticks on stage and the whole stadium suddenly flooding with a blinding white light.

"Oh yeah" Rebekah sang into the microphone. Caroline identified each Mikaelson and their desired instrument. Rebekah on vocals and percussion, Finn on bass, Kol on drums, Elijah on keyboard and finally her eyes resting on Klaus and his jet black electric guitar.

"Oh yeah" Rebekah sang again. The Originals were so mesmerising with their stage presence. They looked like they definitely were born and bred on the stage. Even though Rebekah was front and centre, working the crowd; Caroline couldn't keep her eyes off Klaus. His complete focus on the song and the sense that he was lost in it the moment it began, it completely enthralled her. She shouldn't be this captivated by him. Klaus was the biggest rival of her entire music career but she couldn't help but gaze at those intense blue eyes and his long fingers strumming the chords.

"OH YEAH" Even though Rebekah was always in the spotlight and Elijah was known for managing the band, the magic behind The Originals was purely Klaus. He was the songwriter, composer and guitarist for the band, hence the nickname 'The Hybrid'; and he made them sound _good_. With that thought in her mind, Caroline lost herself into the music as well; her eyes never straying from the Hybrid as she listened intently to his words.

"Hello again friend of a friend,

I knew you when

Our common goal was waiting for

the world to end.

Now that the truth is just a rule

that you can bend.

You crack the whip, shapeshift

and trick the past again.

Send you my love on a wire

Lift you up every time, everyone

Ooh pulls away ooh from you.

Got balls of steel; got an automobile

For a minimum wage.

Got real estate, I'm buying it all

Up in outer space.

Now that the truth is just a rule

That you can bend.

You crack the whip, shapeshift

And trick the past again.

Send you my love on a wire

Lift you up every time, everyone

Ooh pulls away, ooh

It's so mechanic-able

And number one

Will take a ride from anyone, everyone

Who wants to ride, Ooh from you

Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh

Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh"

Caroline took a deep breath, overwhelmed by the emotion in the lyrics and oh how good those lyrics were, as The Originals started their second song.

"Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree. I travelled the world and the seven seas. Everybody's looking for something" the sweet voice of Rebekah flowed over her. The song was hauntingly beautiful yet so creepy at the same time that it sent shivers down Caroline's spine and left goose bumps all over her skin. It was so unlike the first song.

"Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you. Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused…"

* * *

 _Meanwhile…._

"Wow… they are good. We are so screwed" Damon commented watching The Originals play their set from side stage. Since the show had started their group had dispersed to god knows where performing their last minute mantras while he and Katherine took side stage to scope out the competition.

"You're right. If we stick to Elena's goody too-shoes, fair and square ideal, we'll be squashed like a grape. But never say never, for I have a plan." Katherine stated.

"If Elena ever finds out-"

"Which is why we are not going to tell her; or anybody for that matter. This little plan of mine is completely between you and me" Katherine pushed off the pole she was leaning against and started walking off with Damon trailing after her in confusion.

Katherine walked all the way out of the backstage area, past the audience doors to the stadium, up a flight of stairs before she stopped in front of a red door.

'JUDGES ROOM ONLY' it read.

"I am going to use my powers of persuasion and try to get those Mikaelson's disqualified by any means necessary" Katherine said fluffing up her hair and pushing down her top to show just a tinsy bit more cleavage than was probably allowed.

Damon quirked up an eyebrow reading between the lines of Katherine's infamous plan "And by powers of persuasion you really mean powers of seduction"

She shrugged "Phrase it how you want, Salvatore. It has a 100% success rate; it never fails me"

"I seriously doubt that your seduction is that accurate. You know that there are guys out there who are seriously repulsed by self-indulged bitches"

"You mean like you? Trust me Damon, my methods are flawless. I know just what makes a man tick. It worked on you every time didn't it?"

Damon rolled his eyes, "And if they're not all guys in there?"

"Just because you think I spend most of my free time around you Salvatore's, doesn't mean that I haven't swung the other way. I play the field. I know how to win."

Shaking his head, Damon left as Katherine innocently knocked on the door to the judge's room and went to find his brother and the rest of the band to see if they had been updated with the change of plans.

* * *

The rest of the night went fairly quickly with each band rocking the stage with their best songs. Each song had every person in the stadium on their feet and dancing the night away.

Watching I Fight Dragons, Lemonade Mouth and The Preatures perform Caroline knew this competition was fierce. This outcome for the competition was gonna be a close one for sure. Any one of them could win and claim the title. With their melodies and harmonies in perfect sync, Caroline let the music wash over her, allowing herself to lose all thought and get lost in the songs.

It wasn't until The Preatures played the last note of their song 'Somebody's Talking' that Caroline realised that The Mystics were up next. Quickly, Caroline got up from where she stood and ran like her life depended on it, which it literally did, out of the exit door and flew all the way through backstage, past the security guards and to side stage where Tyler was waiting for her.

"Where have you been?! I have been looking everywhere for you!"

"I know…" Caroline puffed "I'm. Sorry. I was. Watching. From the. Audience."

"Well come on, we have to go _now_. The host is announcing us."

With one last quick fluff of her hair and a deep breath, Caroline walked on stage towards her spot next to Katherine, ready to rock the crowd's socks off.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you enjoyed this chapter even though its a short one! Don't forget to review pretty please! I'd love to improve my writing skills haha

As for the competing bands, most are not made up (except Lemonade Mouth is from a Disney Movie, and obviously The Originals and The Mystics) so if you would like to listen to the songs they performed in the competition there will be a link to a youtube playlist in my profile (apparently you can't put links in the A/Ns which sucks)


	3. Chapter 3: The Betrayal

**Chapter 3: The Betrayal**

"And now last but definitely not least in this mind-blowing competition, everyone welcome to the stage theeeeeeee MYSTICS!" The host said into the microphone with the crowd cheering in reply.

And with that, The Mystics got into place with Elena front and centre and Caroline next to Katherine. Looking once again at the crowd Caroline swallowed her nervousness. Yep, definitely too many people watching. But she wouldn't let a silly little thing like fear stop her from doing her best. When has she ever submitted to it before? Caroline looked to the rest of her band: Matt on bass, the Salvatore's on guitar, Bonnie on keyboard and Tyler on drums. They all shared a small nod and a smile before they began their first song "Lovefool"

* * *

Klaus watched from the side as The Mystics began their song. So this was the band that everyone thought was their biggest competition, he thought. They were so…. happy and shiny, especially with Elena at the front. He didn't know what everyone was thinking, though they _sounded_ good, they just didn't have the edge that his family had. That attitude and that stage presence. Now Katherine, she definitely had the attitude and the looks. With her at the front instead of Elena and a little music change, only then would The Mystics stand any chance of even being considered a threat.

"Look at them, aren't they the cutest thing you've ever seen? Full of love and joy…. How pathetic" Rebekah sauntered over to where Klaus stood. Klaus only huffed in reply. "I can't believe that people have the decency to think that the Care bear Club over there can beat us. I mean seriously, how daft are they? Ugh they must be musically inept."

Klaus wasn't listening by that stage. Something else had engrossed his complete and utter attention. A little something that had blonde curled hair.

"Hello?!" Rebekah waved her hand in front of Klaus' face "Earth to Nik?!" But he didn't seem affected at all, didn't even blink. _Was that wonderment in Klaus' eyes?_ Rebekah thought. Annoyed, Rebekah walked over and stood in front him, hands on hips. "Don't tell me you actually like this hippie band?!" Finally, Klaus looked up at her clearly displeased by her presence and persistence and pushed her out of his line of sight to the stage. "Fine Mr. Grumpy pants. I'll find someone else to bother. This band is making my ears bleed anyway" And with that, Rebekah sauntered off whilst Klaus' gaze continued to linger on that mysterious blonde.

* * *

As the last note of "Lovefool" rang out through the United Centre and the crowd erupted into applause and cheers, Caroline deeply felt a new rush of adrenaline through her body, leaving a tingling sensation that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her stomach twist with elation. _One down, one to go_ Caroline smiled to herself. They could totally win this competition.

Then as soon as the audience quietened, The Mystics began their second song… Except that the song the rest of the band was playing wasn't what Caroline thought they were playing. _Maybe their playing in a different key_ Caroline thought. But it didn't sound even remotely close to 'Kiss Me'. It sounded like…. No it couldn't be. They wouldn't, not without asking her permission first.

On my way

though I don't know where I'm going

on a road that's dark and long.

On my way

but I'm fearful that I could be lost

that the past I have chosen might be wrong.

She whipped her head around to look at the rest of the band for an explanation but they were all engrossed in the song. Finally she instantaneously turned to Katherine. The pretty brunette just gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand, which gave Caroline all the answers she ever needed. Though she couldn't hear it before, she could hear it now. They were playing her song. They were playing _her_ song. A song that _she_ wrote herself. Granted it was for the band, but still! They only rehearsed it a bunch of times and they all agreed that when they did finally perform it, it unquestionably would be her singing centre stage.

When will it be clear

that I made the right choice.

When can I be sure

that I know my own voice.

I dream of a day when I'm free from doubt

where fate wins out

and I overcome my fear…

Now here she was, not standing centre stage and definitely not singing her own original song. Caroline was dumbfounded. Millions of questions ran through her mind. How could they do this? How could they not tell her or ask her permission? Why isn't she the one singing it? When in the world did they even decide this?!

Clear…

Caroline whipped her back around to find the new voice singing and to her surprise it was Stefan. Stefan was singing? Stefan hardly ever sang let alone publically.

No.

That's not the problem though. The problem is that not only did they use her song without permission; they also abhorrently changed her song to a duet! Caroline was so perplexed, she felt that she couldn't breathe. The pain of this… betrayal was too much for her. She had never felt so much pain in her life. Breaking her arm when she was 8 came a close second but there was still a significant difference between the physical and emotional pain.

Caroline turned to run off the stage, getting strange looks from the crowd and her friends. Bonnie grabbed her arm just before she made it off and asked if she was okay but Caroline didn't hear her and ripped her arm from Bonnie's grip to continue off stage. All of her senses became numb. She couldn't hear or feel anything as she mechanically made her way to through the back stage corridors. Somehow Caroline had found herself before the ladder up to the upper lighting box for the stage. She carefully climbed up and sat with her legs dangling over the edge as she watched the Mystics finish her song. Despite her absence, her friends were selling it and looked like they were having the time of their lives. She wished she had stayed on and experienced the moment of performing in front of such a large crowd but she knew that she wouldn't have been able to stay on any longer than she did. Surprisingly The Mystics got a standing ovation. The audience was giving a standing ovation to _her_ song! But of course Elena gets all the credit with her lovely, sweet voice. This whole situation was so conflicting on Caroline's heart. She loved her friends, she really did (despite all their flaws) and she would do anything she could to keep her friends happy and see them smile. But they used her song without asking and letting her perform it. She could feel cracks shattering their way across her heart and just thinking about it made the cracks slowly expand.

Caroline snapped back into focus when all the bands filed back on stage to wait in anticipation for the announcement of the winners. The host got the audience to cheer for their favourite bands and it was obvious that it was down to 2 bands, The Originals and The Mystics.

"And now the moment we've all been waiting for…" the host announced as the stadium quietened. " The winner for the Battle of the Bands competition for 2015 and the winner of a record deal with Warner Music are…."

While the host paused for effect, a few people screamed out for their bands. Mostly for The Originals and The Mystics with only a handful for the other bands whose names Caroline had already forgotten. The wait was almost too much to bear when finally,

"THE ORIGINALS!"

A spotlight landed on The Originals and the stadium roared so loud that it made Caroline's ears pop. The Originals shook hands with everyone though they didn't seem elated like she thought they would be; only Kol looked ecstatic. They just had very smug faces.

So they had lost. The Mystics lost with her song and with the sweet voice of Elena Gilbert. Caroline felt like she should be sad about losing, they've been dreaming about winning this competition since they started their band in freshman year of high school. But Caroline wasn't sad about losing, she didn't care. She felt like the rest of the band deserved it for not being truthful with her.

Caroline sat there as she watched the bands leave the stage and the crowd slowly file out the doors. She sat there 'til she heard her friends looked for her, call her name and then eventually give up and all was silent. Then, and only then, when Caroline was sure there was no one left in the Stadium except herself, did she let her tears overflow and sobbed until her heart could hurt no more.

* * *

 **A/N:** There you have it, Chapter 3! Please review; I would love to hear what you guys think of the story! I will also update my YouTube playlist for this story. Link to that is in my profile! Thankyou to everyone who has followed and favorited the story already!


	4. Chapter 4: Unexpected Company

**Chapter 4: Unexpected Company**

Klaus was the last one to pack up his things in the dressing room. Everyone had already left to celebrate their victory in whatever was the most famous, luxurious club in town. He would catch up with them later. For now, Klaus just wanted to saviour the moment of victory. Of course, there was no contest The Originals were obviously the better, more influential, musically talented band. But there were moments where he had his doubts. For example, the moment when they were announcing the winners and the distant screams of audience members cheering for The Mystics… he had to admit that he thought they were close to losing but he supposed that because they were Mikaelsons his father had probably pulled some strings being the sole owner and producer of Mikaelson records. Klaus didn't know why his father had insisted on them entering this stupid competition anyway. It's not like they needed to win a record deal when they owned a recording company, the best one in the country in fact. He guessed it was just his father's way of claiming dominance in the industry, to say that the Michaelson's will forever be in power.

Sighing, Klaus walked out of his dressing room and onto the stage once more and looked out into the empty chairs of the Stadium. In a months' time The Originals would be performing in many stadiums just like this one on their victory tour. It's not like it was anything new. After winning the Battle of the Bands last year and officially becoming the best band in the country, Klaus' life had become insane. His family was always travelling from one city to another, performing shows, signing autographs, posing for photos, signing CDs, doing interviews, performing more shows. It had become more than a little tiring. Just for this moment he wanted some peace and quiet before returning to the havoc of his life.

Klaus closed his eyes and breathed deeply, letting the silence take over him…

Only, there wasn't silence. Somewhere in the stadium Klaus could hear faint sniffling like someone was crying. Opening his eyes, Klaus scanned the stadium. There didn't seem to be anyone in the seats and turning around there wasn't anyone on the stage either. Curious, Klaus walked to the wings of the stage and checked both sides as well. The sound was close but there was no one sight. Walking back on stage Klaus finally looked up to see 2 legs hanging over the lighting bridge. Getting a better view, Klaus could tell that it was the blonde from The Mystics. Caroline was her name if he recalled correctly.

"Don't tell me that losing to us was that dreadful now love?" he said trying to lighten her mood.

Caroline started and looked down. Her eyes were all red and puffy from crying but she was still relatively beautiful, Klaus thought.

"What are you doing here?" she asked trying to wipe away her tears "Shouldn't you be out getting drunk and hooking up with all the groupies who want to sleep with you after you're big win?"

Klaus chuckled "I prefer to soak in the feeling of being on stage after every performance before 'getting drunk and hooking up with every girl I meet' as you so loosely put it. Mind if I join you?"

She shrugged. "If you want I guess. It's not like my opinion matters anyway"

"Everyone's opinion matters, love. Although I must say, I don't care for many people's opinions but you are an exception" Klaus walked off stage to find the ladder to the lighting bridge and soon enough he was sitting next to Caroline with his feet dangling off the edge, but not too close to make her uncomfortable. Sitting next to her Klaus could smell her sweet vanilla perfume. "Because I don't know what makes you think you don't have an opinion but if I were to take a guess it would have to be the reason you ran off stage halfway through your set earlier tonight?"

Caroline said nothing, letting the question linger in the air. A buzzing sensation suddenly occurred in her jeans pocket. Checking her phone, Caroline saw that she had numerous missed calls from everybody in the band.

"Did you want to talk-" he started but Caroline cut him off while replacing her phone back in her pocket.

"Why are you talking to me? We are rivals, enemies even! Aren't you breaking some band code by talking to competition?"

"I don't know what strange band code you live by Caroline Forbes but I definitely don't have one. Anyway let bygones be bygones. The competition is over now, there's no point in being enemies, especially with a woman as beautiful as you." Caroline scoffed at that last part, swinging her legs back and forth over the edge until she quickly faced him again.

"You know my name?"

"Of course I do sweetheart. I make it my business to know who I'm competing against. Why? Don't you know who _I am_?" he said with a smirk.

"Well of course I do. Who hasn't heard of Klaus Mikaelson and his infamous band The Originals. It's hard to miss all the gossip columns as well about all the girls that leave your apartment as well just so you know. I just thought that the rest of the competition was too insignificant to catch the attention of the famed Originals. And also, can we stop with the pet names? It's kinda creepy. I'm not your love _or_ your sweetheart.

"Okay sweetheart. Whatever you say" Klaus smirked

"ARGH!" Caroline got up from waking away from Klaus, climbing down the ladder at the end of the bridge.

"And where are you going?" Klaus asked still sitting on the lighting bridge

"Home" she replied "Because as much as I love spending time in this gloomy stadium with your annoying remarks, and _I really do_ , I'd rather sleep forever in my bed and never get up"

"Can I at least interest you in a drink? We've booked the VIP room at The Mid if my instincts are correct"

"Oohhh how fancy but I think I'll pass thanks"

"I never picked you to be so feisty"

"Yeah well, I always picked you to be a dick so-" Caroline shrugged, turned on her heel and just before she left the stage added, "Hopefully I won't see anytime soon Mr Mikaelson"

Klaus just smirked, watching her walk away, "Looking forward to seeing you too, Ms Forbes"

* * *

 _Ring Ring… Ring Ring… Ring Ring… Sorry your call could not be connected-_

"Argh, Caroline is still not picking up and this is the tenth time I've called her" Elena said ending the call while pacing around Bonnie and Caroline's hotel room.

"I'm sure she'll call soon and let us know she's okay." Bonnie replied

"But it's a big and foreign city Bonnie! She could be anywhere right now! You know Chicago has the highest crime rate in the country. She could be in trouble!"

"Well it's not like she's got anywhere else to sleep. She'll turn up sooner or later, plus Caroline's a big girl now, she can handle her own" added Katherine

"She's got a point you know" Damon said walking in with Stefan, Matt and Tyler in tow. "I'm sure Caroline will be absolutely fine. Although, I do have to wonder why Caroline abruptly ran off stage in the middle of our set, costing us the competition and putting us in this position in the first place" rounding his accusing gaze onto Tyler.

"Why are you looking at me? I didn't make her run off the stage! She was looking at Elena and Stefan before she bolted. Maybe you should ask them!" Tyler pointed towards Elena.

"Dear god, Tyler, _please_ tell me that you didn't forget in that little pea brain of yours to tell Caroline the change in song and that instead you broke her little heart by breaking up with her and after we finished 'Lovefool' the lyrics got to her in such a way that she just _had_ to run off stage and ruin our chances of winning against the arrogant Originals"

"Well… I didn't exactly get to tell her…" Tyler muttered. Damon threw his hands up in the air.

"Great. Just… great"

"Tyler!" Elena cried. "Do you know how much she must be hurting now? What that song meant to her?! She'll think we've betrayed her!"

"You had one job Tyler. One job. Did you even _try_ to find Caroline?" Damon hissed

"Of course I tried-"

"Until he spotted the girls from Lemonade Mouth" Katherine muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. Everyone turned to look at Katherine sitting on top of the table, wondering what exactly she was implying. She just shrugged and continued to swing her legs back and forth under the table.

"No, shut up Katherine. I couldn't find Caroline until the very last second, I swear. Why are you all getting upset at me?! It's not like you guys couldn't have told her either" Tyler stated turning to face everyone again.

"Well he didn't exactly deny it. Maybe she was hanging out with those guys from The Preatures. Probably Gideon I'm guessing. Ooh that hair and that suit…" Katherine bit her lip in lust just thinking about the particular competitor.

"What are you implying Katherine?" Tyler snapped

"Nothing" Katherine smiled sweetly in reply.

"Look Tyler" Matt spoke stepping forward from the group. "Unlike you, the rest of us don't know the song that well. We've only practiced it a handful of times before, we had to go over our chords. We didn't have the time to find Caroline"

"We really should stop arguing about this and go out and find Caroline instead" Elena stood up, changing the subject and taking action.

"I agree, this is pointless unless we go out there, find Caroline and explain to her this misunderstanding" Stefan agreed.

"We'll need to split up" Elena spoke again. "We should go in twos for safety reasons. Matt you go with Tyler. Damon you go with Stefan. Bonnie and Kat you come with me"

Everyone was gathering their stuff to leave when Damon spoke, "Why don't we just wait here? She'll need to pick up her stuff anyway and our plane leaves for Mystic Falls at 9:00am tomorrow. It's not likely she'll miss that"

"As much as I love Caroline, I have to agree. Plus, I'm super tired from performing tonight. I just want to relax and drink until I pass out. Is that so much to ask?" Katherine stated.

Elena sighed and massaged her temples. This was going to be a long night she thought.

"Fine. You and Damon can stay here and wait until Caroline gets back. When I say stay here I mean here as in this room. Don't go down to the hotel bar, we can't afford to miss her and explain what's happened. Please call us as soon as she walks through the door. Okay?"

"Will do" Katherine saluted.

* * *

It had been at least an hour of searching the city for Caroline with no luck and Matt was exhausted. As much as he wanted to go back to the hotel and just sleep, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep easy until he knew Caroline was safe. Street after street he walked down next to Tyler, peering into each open pub they came across but it was near impossible to find one particular curly haired blonde in such a big city. They decided that walking down the pub street would be a good start. They figured that whenever Caroline got upset she would always busy herself with some other task or drown her sorrows away in a pub. The only problem was, everywhere they looked there was at least one curly haired blonde sitting alone at a bar. When they tried to call Caroline's name and go up to her, it never was her and ended with more than a few awkward conversations on Matt's part. Tyler on the other hand didn't seem to be 100% focused on finding Caroline, noticing all the girls in the bar that seemed to be checking him out.

"You don't think Caroline will be in that club would she?" Tyler asked not really trying to look inside the club but at the girls waiting in line to enter instead.

"No I don't think so. I don't think she would be in the mood to be dancing" Matt replied. Something is up with Tyler but Matt didn't know what. Ever since they left Mystic Falls, started this competition and started performing in front of thousands of people in different cities Tyler had been acting a little different. It was surprising that Matt had caught on before Caroline, and she notices everything. "Are you okay Tyler?" Matt asked, looking at Tyler quizzically.

"Yeah, I'm fine but I am a little worried about Caroline if that's what you mean" Tyler replied not focusing much on the conversation but on the girls walking around him.

"Well yeah of course everyone's worried about her. But it just seems like I'm more worried about her than you are and I'm not even her boyfriend" Matt stopped walking, waiting for Tyler's answer.

"Well you were once, remember?" Tyler said turning around to face Matt.

"That doesn't mean I have to stop caring about her. She's still my friend, Tyler. You've been acting so strange ever since we left Mystic Falls for this competition. I'm starting to think that what Katherine said back at the hotel room is true because you seem to be paying more attention to other girls than on Caroline that's for sure"

"You're really gonna believe whatever Katherine says? Dude, you know she's known for her backstabbing and lies. She's only ever been honest to Elena and that's only because they're sisters" Tyler snapped. "Have you ever thought that maybe it's you who's changed? You've been my best friend since freshman year but right now you're not acting like one. Just drop it okay? Whatever you're thinking, just drop it"

"Okay" Matt put his hands up showing he wasn't going to say anymore on the matter. For the rest of the night the two walked in silence hoping they could find the missing blonde soon so this night could finally end.

"Well this is boring" Damon spoke aloud from where he lay on the bed. When Katherine didn't answer Damon sat up on the bed to look at her. Katherine was leaning on the vanity applying makeup and redoing her hair.

"You are totally gonna go to the hotel bar aren't you?" Damon asked laying back down on the bed.

"Damon, you think so low of me. Do you really think I would disobey my sister's orders?"

"Yes" he said bluntly

Katherine sighed "Okay you got me. I am totally gonna go to the hotel bar. But it just so happens that you can see the entrance hall of the hotel from the bar so technically I'm not disobeying orders. I'm just working around them, killing two birds with one stone. Care to join me?"

Damon got up and checked the mini fridge. "Well since this mini fridge is now severely lacking bourbon, yes I will join you. I don't like ignoring Elena's orders but this hotel room isn't going to be much fun for the rest of the night"

"Perfect" Katherine smiled. Then, they too left Bonnie and Caroline's hotel room.

* * *

A/N: This was a pain to write. I have a habit of putting in too much dialogue and not enough descriptive language. I hope you guys still enjoyed it though! What started as my shortest chapter has now become the longest so far. Let me know what you think!


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